There are 14 governors on the school’s governing body.

They include representatives of the main political parties nominated by Camden Council, school staff, parent and co-opted representatives. We aim for a balance of deaf and hearing governors.

The governors ensure the school is well run and provides children with the best possible education. parent governors are elected by the parents. They make sure that our parents’ views are valued and represented at an official level.

Our governors have secured excellent resources and facilities for Frank Barnes and ensured the school remains at the cutting edge of Deaf education in England and internationally. In support of this, we are delighted that the London Borough of Camden has guaranteed funding for a ten year strategy for deaf children.

We hope this website gives you a taste of our learning community, what we do and why we do it. However, to fully appreciate what we can offer your child, please come and visit us.

If you are interested in becoming a Governor, please register your interest via email.

For the register of members’ and governors’ interests please click here.

If you would like to contact the school governing body you can write for the attention of Joanna Wootten, Chair of Governors, email c/o the Frank Barnes School Office – admin@fbarnes.camden.sch.uk

Current governors

Former Governors

 

I am the Chair of Governors at Frank Barnes School, and am proud to be supporting Frank Barnes’ bilingual approach to deaf education so that deaf children can grow, learn and flourish. I work for Trust for London (a large London funder), as a grant manager and am their disability justice lead.   I also work for another TfL – Transport for London – as I’m chair of their Independent Disability Advisory Group.   I originally trained as a solicitor before working in the not-for-profit sector.  For more than 10 years, I’ve worked with private and public sector organisations (including Sainsbury’s) in thinking strategically and practically about disability inclusion for both employees and customers.  I was born Deaf.

 

I am vice-Chair of Governors at Frank Barnes School and have been a Governor at the school since 2006.  I am Associate Professor in Languages and Intercultural Communication at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and my research interests are in sign language, interpreting, translation, minority languages and multilingualism.  I studied my PhD at UCL focussing on minority language contact between two sign languages. Previously, I was Director, Continuing Professional Development/Teaching Fellow at the UCL Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre and I am now also Visiting Professor at the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin and Honorary Lecturer at the UCL Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre.  
My other volunteer work is as coordinator of the World Federation of the Deaf Sign Language and Deaf Studies expert group, as well as Chairperson of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (UK) Deaf Interpreter Network. I also work as a sign language interpreter and translator.  In my spare time I enjoy baking and hill walking locally around Scotland.  I am from Melbourne, Australia and members of my family are deaf.

 

I was born and bred in South Africa and moved to London following my studies and qualification as a primary school teacher in 1999 from the University of Cape Town.  I started working at Frank Barnes School in 2000 as a supply teacher, and worked my way up from being a class teacher, team leader, Assistant Headteacher, and finally Headteacher since September 2016.
I am proud to be leading such a dynamic and outstanding school where our pupils are growing up with a positive Deaf identity, accessing the curriculum in BSL and developing academically and socially as bilingual learners.  I am also proud to be a positive deaf role model for the pupils, staff and the Deaf community, and have a strong vision for Deaf education.  I believe that all deaf children have a right to a high quality bilingual education in BSL and English, with so many Deaf role models in the staff.  I am very fortunate to have the support and collaboration from a dedicated and diverse group of Governors to drive school improvement and achieve high standards.
 

Michael Kettiros
I have been a Co-opted School Governor at Frank Barnes since 2019 sitting on the Business Committee as well as being involved in General committee endeavours. This is my first role as a Governor, and I am thoroughly enjoying it! Frank Barnes is a school that I grew up next door to as a child, so I feel as though I have come full circle! I have a degree in Accounting and Finance from Durham University then qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) whilst at KPMG. This experience and skill set has allowed me to try and add value to the finance function of the Board of Governors, ensuring the monetary health of the school carries on for years to come.
My governor role has been a very rewarding experience thus far being involved with Frank Barnes and understanding first-hand the dedication that is put in by the school staff to ensure a fantastic and safe learning environment is forthcoming. This is a role I hope to continue for a long time!

 

I serve as a School Governor and Chair of the Curriculum Committee, a role I greatly enjoy for the opportunity it provides to work closely with staff and fellow governors to shape an inclusive, creative, and ambitious learning experience for every child. I bring to this role over two decades of experience in inclusive education and equity-focused leadership from my position as Associate Professor (Teaching) and Inclusive Education Lead at University College London (UCL).

At UCL, I lead institutional initiatives to make education more accessible and inclusive for diverse learners, and I draw on that experience to help the school develop approaches that celebrate difference, inspire curiosity, and support every pupil to thrive.

I hold a PhD in Biotechnology and am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I have received awards for Public Engagement, Equality, Diversity and Fairness, and Innovation and Enterprise. I am deeply committed to social justice, inclusion, and ensuring all learners have the opportunity to flourish.

Outside work, I enjoy walking, cooking, crafts, gardening — and caring for our dog, Curtis, and our rescue hens!”

 

I am from Ecuador and have been living in the UK since 2003. 

Over the years my interests have changed from photography, visiting museums and travelling to now dedicating time to gardening.  I am blessed to have a garden in London where I can bring up my children and grow fruit and vegetables. 

 I joined the Frank Barnes School Governing Body as a Parent Governor, because I am interested in getting more involved and supporting the education of my son and all pupils at Frank Barnes School.  I look forward to contributing as a Governor to the formative years of all pupils  and helping make the school’s goals achievable.

 

Frank Barnes is an outstanding school and has been the perfect setting for my son. I became a parent governor because I wanted to contribute to school life. In particular, I am passionate about supporting initiatives that help Frank Barnes to improve its offering to children with complex medical and special educational needs beyond those related to deafness.

In my professional life, I have spent most of my career in the non-profit space working with organisations such as Save the Children, both in the UK and overseas. I am currently the Director of Operations for the Centre for Long-Term Resilience, a think tank focused on improving policymaking in areas related to AI and biosecurity risk. Since September 2025, I have also been a trustee of Sense International, which works with and for people with deafblindness and their families around the world.

 

Education is one of my core beliefs. Originally from Sydney, Australia, I moved to London in 2022 after completing my Master of Laws at Harvard University as a Fulbright Scholar. I joined the Governing Body of Frank Barnes School in 2024. I am a lawyer, although there have been several teachers in my family and I have taught students for several years at university and one of my first jobs was my own private tutoring business. I aim to bring my skills, experience, and belief in education to my role and help to ensure that the staff and students of Frank Barnes School continue to have the best possible environment for learning.

 

 

Being profoundly and pre-linguistically deaf, my lifelong passion is in deaf education and working with parents of deaf children, empowering them with a can-do attitude, coming from deaf parents and deaf grandparents - taught deaf children and young people for 32 years (Frank Barnes and City Lit) and was an assistant headteacher for 9 years.

I have trained 80 hearing teachers/managers on effective, meaningful and accessible lessons in India, taught English as a 2nd language to deaf students in Sri Lanka and short courses for teachers and parents in Indonesia.

 

 

I have been a Co-opted Governor and member of the Curriculum Committee since 2024, and I thoroughly enjoy contributing to the school’s strategic and curriculum development. I have a strong background in inclusive education, with extensive experience developing, teaching, and leading a wide range of resources, programmes, and curriculum-based initiatives across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

At University College London (UCL), my work focusses on enhancing student experience and engagement. I develop education strategies and student-experience initiatives that address issues related to equality, diversity, inclusion and awarding gaps, ensuring all students have the support and environment they need to succeed.

Beyond higher education, I have driven national change for deaf and disabled people, including contributions to government and parliamentary services. This work reflects my long-standing commitment to improving access, representation, and outcomes for marginalised groups.

I am passionate about educational equity and am very much looking forward to supporting and contributing to the vision of Frank Barnes —working to ensure excellence in education for all children and creating opportunities for every learner to thrive.